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'Fish Out Of Water' a cute adventure

Casual video game players might not recognize the name Halfbrick Studios. They'll certainly remember their games, Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, two of the best games available for Apple's iOS platform. The

'Fish Out Of Water' a cute adventure

Casual video game players might not recognize the name Halfbrick Studios. They'll certainly remember their games, Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, two of the best games available for Apple's iOS platform.

The studio returns with a fresh adventure, Fish Out of Water, a charming title that should easily hook players with its clever mechanics.

The premise behind Fish Out Of Water is simple: players must toss a trio of fish across the ocean as far as possible while picking up as many skips along the surface of the water.

There are six fish to choose from, from fast dolphins to large whales. Some fish are better at skipping on top of the water, while others can travel great distances, so players must choose carefully the best group to work with. For example, dolphins glide along the water for long stretches, while a sleek, red fish called Rocket can rack up several skips in one trip.

After a trio of fish are tossed, a group of crab judges scores the player's performance based on distance and skips. Judges have varying personalities, so one judge might score more highly for more skips, while another judge is harsh in scoring unless a player performs a spectacular effort.

The mechanics of Fish Out Of Water are very simple. Players tap and hold the touchscreen to grab a fish, then swipe right to toss. Players can pick up gold orbs along the path to fill a boost meter to gain some extra distance. Elements such as weather or schools of jellyfish can impede progress, so players must carefully decide how to toss their fish.

Players upgrade to higher levels by performing in-game objectives, and each level nets gems that fuse together and create power-ups such as bonus distance or more favorable scores from judges. Players can also create or join Leagues with friends and compete as a team, so long as they log in through Facebook or Google+.

Like Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, Fish Out Of Water is an addictive, entertaining mobile game. The mechanics are simple, but have enough depth to keep players pushing to get better.